A Ribbon of Shining Steel: The Railway Diary of Kate Cameron

Dear Canada

by Julie Lawson

Kate's father is a builder for the Canadian Pacific Railway as it snakes its way across the mountains and through the Fraser Canyon. Everyone is excited about the 'Iron Horse' but building the railroad is a treacherous undertaking. Kate is always thinking about her father's safety, and the Accident Hospital next door is a constant reminder of the hazards the railroad brings. There is tremendous excitement surrounding the creation of the transcontinental railroad despite the danger as Kate, her town, and all of Canada eagerly await its completion.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Childrens, Historical, Canada, Young Adult, Middle Grade

208 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2002

About the author

Julie Lawson is the award-winning author of many books for young people. Her novels include White Jade Tiger (winner of the Sheila A. Egoff Book Literature Prize and nominated for both the Canadian Library Association Book of the Year Award and the Silver Birch Award), Destination Gold, and The Ghost of Avalanche Mountain. Among her acclaimed picture books are The Dragon’s Pearl, Emma and the Silk Train, Bear on the Train, and Whatever You Do, Don’t Go Near That Canoe! Her most recent novel, Ghosts of the Titanic, was released in Spring 2011.

Some of the events written about in A Ribbon of Shining Steel were based on the real-life experiences of Julie’s own grandfather, John Anderson, who was among the many immigrants needed to keep the CPR running smoothly.

Julie lives in Victoria, British Columbia.

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Albeit that Julie Lawson has certainly made her Kate Cameron an age (and also time and place) appropriate first person narrator, read fictional diarist, I also cannot really say that I have found this instalment of the Dear Canada series of historical fiction diaries, that I have found A Ribbon of Shining Steel: The Railway Diary of Kate Cameron inherently engaging and as such also all that emotionally and personally satisfying.

Yes, Kate's journal entries are generally interesting and they do for the most part also show a realistic enough portrait of the many problems and sometimes resulting tragedies that the construction of the railway in Canada's westernmost province is causing (in order to link Canada by railroad from the East to the West Coast) due to British Columbia having many mountains, deep river gorges and the like that need to be blasted in order for there to be railroad tracks, railway bridges etc. However, I also and equally do tend to find that A Ribbon of Shining Steel: The Railway Diary of Kate Cameron often seems rather too focused on Kate's everyday life and her girlish pursuits, with the bits and pieces relating to the building off the railway and in particular to the many horrible accidents that often occur and that Chinese labourers are getting ill with and dying en masse of scurvy etc. and are generally being approached and seen as less than human and simply as to be exploited resources often only rather mentioned on the side, as afterthoughts.

Now while this might of course actually be realistic enough in a twelve year old girl's diary, I (and as an older reader) certainly have found A Ribbon of Shining Steel: The Railway Diary of Kate Cameron often more than a bit tedious and monotonous and that the focus on everyday life certainly seems to actively push the seriousness of the accidents that plague the construction of the railway and the presented animosity towards Chinese labourers quite to the edge so to speak. And yes, this does kind of bother me and it definitely makes both Kate and also her fictional diary, it does render A Ribbon of Shining Steel: The Railway Diary of Kate Cameron as not always all that personally enjoyable and relatable (although I do still think that A Ribbon of Shining Steel: The Railway Diary of Kate Cameron shows much of interest both regarding the construction of the railroad in late 19th century British Columbia and what everyday life was like in places like Yale and other B.C. railroad towns).

[Jenna Leigh · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's so hard to give the Dear Canada books low ratings, because ultimately, I love the Dear Canada series, and would recommend that you read every single book put out under their banner. I'm 21, but I'd still read them, because they are a fantastic way to begin to immerse yourself in our country's (sometimes) rather confusing history.

Anyway, some of the books in the series just don't stand out. Or they stand out because they were kind of boring. This is one of those. It felt like the story and characters weren't fleshed out, and that's pretty much all I can say about this one. Just kind of flat.

[Terri · Rating 1 out of 5]

While I've enjoyed other books in the series, this one put me to sleep. I couldn't even finish it. There was no obvious trajectory for the story and reading about the protagonists petty squabbles with her friends made me want to spork my eyes out. Although the building of the railroad was enormously important to the history of Canada, this novel completely fails to capture the drama and sacrifices of the people who worked on it. Not a book I plan to recommend to my students.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is one of the Dear Canada series, which are historical novels, written in diary format, about fictional girls during different periods of Canadian history.

Twelve-year-old Kate Cameron and her family live in the town of Yale, British Columbia, in 1882, where her father is helping to build the new Canadian Pacific Railway. Kate's parents give her a diary, and in it, she records life in a railway town, the dangers to the workers, and her own frustrations at trying to be the young lady her mother wants her to be so she won't be sent away to a school for young ladies.

Like the other books in the Dear Canada series, this is a fascinating look at a period in Canadian history as seen through a young girl's diary. I'd highly recommend this book to fans of the Dear Canada and Dear America series as well as to young fans of historical fiction. Kate is a lively and believable character whose diary truly brings to life the hardships and excitement of life in the old west during the building of the railroads.

[Kristal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think my goal for 2018 will be to read all of the dear Canada/dear America books I haven’t read. In a way, it’s a lofty goal because I think there’s around 50-60 books I haven’t read, yet in another way it’s not because I can read these books in 1-2 days, plus I’m trying to cut out social media and other distractions.

Anyways, “A Ribbon or Shining Steel” wasn’t my favorite Dear Canada book. I found it didn’t capture enough of what a big task the construction of the railway was. It focused more on Kate and Anne’s bickering whereas I would have liked to learn a bit more history.

However, some positives of the book were delving into the racism between white vs Chinese settlers, as well as explaining some of the day to day aspects of life in the 1880s (whether that be diseases and remedies, food, chores, etc.)

Altogether not the best dear Canada book, but I’m still glad I read it. Now off to the next volume!

[Jackie · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Ribbon of Shining Steel: The Railway Diary of Kate Cameron; is another installment of the dear Canada series. Which is about young people writing in their diaries about the old days of Canada, talking about different subjects. A Ribbon of Shining Steel: the Railway Diary of Kate Cameron, is about a girl who's father is working on the railways, it also goes over a a year and then some of her life. This book also mentions the mistreatment of the Chinese, and some forest fires in their town. I picked up this book because one of my friends recommended it to me, and i finished it because I had nothing better to do. I thought this book was kinda boring, and it didn't interest me, but I know some people who enjoy history would enjoy this novel.

[QNPoohBear · Rating 3 out of 5]

of Canada's Transcontinental railroad. Kate's Papa is an engineer, building bridges for the railroad. The family has had to move along with the railroad and Kate misses her best friend Rachel, a wild girl who is lots of fun. Kate dislikes living in an unfamiliar town with only her mother and brothers for company.Living across from the railroad hospital, Kate sees first hand the devastation the railroad causes and worries for her Papa's safety. Once school starts, she meets the other children of Yale, but it's not easy to adjust to living in a new location. The building of the railroad brings many changes to Kate's life and in-between outside changes, she has to deal with growing up and becoming a young lady.

This diary reads like a real girl's diary. Kate pours her feelings into her diary and she doesn't always say or do things that make her likable, just like a real girl. She learns lessons along the way that help her mature. The historical information is in the background of the story. The railroad is bring built and the excitement is mounting. The author did an extraordinary amount of research to provide the little details that make this book so realistic.

I seem to have enjoyed this one when I read it but it's unmemorable after the fact. I completely forgot I ever read this one and don't recall anything about it.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember enjoying this book a whole lot more as a kid, however years later as I re-read it, I can't help but notice a lot of things that just bugged me about Kate's character and the store in itself.
The building of the railway was an extremely important part of Canadian history, no one can really deny that. However, I found this book didn't really cover it to the point that it would capture a reader's imagination. The purpose of the Dear Canada series is to gain interest of young readers into history. This book only focused on the petty conflicts between herself and Anne, and there was a lot of loopholes at the end even with these conflicts. What happened to Anne in the future? Did Kate's relationship with Rachel just die after that one visit? Things just didn't really seem to wrap up.
I think this books heart was in the right place, I just think it could have been done a bit better.

[Raina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would!

Kate's sassy character made the diary amusing to read at many points. Her father's strong moral compass guided alot of the exploration of complex themes, including the discrimination of the Chinese railway workers.

The epilogue, historical note and black-and-white photos/prints at the end of the book are great supplemental materials. I look forward to reading more of the Dear Canada Diary series.

[Georgia · Rating 4 out of 5]

During the time of the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway, twelve-year-old Kate Cameron begins her diary. Her parents give her the diary to record her lessons learned (after almost drowning in the Fraser River.) Soon she starts school and meets a shy girl, named Anne, who has a blood disease. They become good friends, dispite Anne being more proper than Kate. Their friendship has its first struggle when Kate decides to go to Rachel's farm for the weekend rather than to Anne's birthday party. Kate also fears that her parents are planning to send her to Angela College on Vancouver Island to become a lady, she's sad about going until Rachel says her parents are planning to send her to. And also, Kate's father is working on the railway, Kate, Mrs. Cameron, and her brothers Toby and Andrew all fear for him and hope that he doesn't end up in the "accidental hospital". Throught the months of writing in her diary, Kate records her adventures and dreams of becoming a reporter for Yale's newspaper. Then, her mother is suddenly pregnant, and it turns out Kate isn't going to Angela College after all, she only heard half of the sentence. Her mother wants Kate to stay home so she can help around the house. But Rachel still has to go. The summer of 1883 is an eventful one for Kate, she goes to see Rachel at Angela College, and realizes that she has grown up. And survives one of the most deadliest forest fires in the mountains. Kate learns that sometimes you have to be careful and consider friends before adventure.
I liked this book because it wasn't like the regular Dear Canada books, where the girls are usually well behaved. Kate was spunky and was looking for trouble. You've done it again, Dear Canada, don't stop making your books!

[Molly]

This entire series is a wonderful way to learn history or teach it to adolescents. I find today's generations seem to recall more when they learn through other people (pop songs, celebrity gossip, etc.), so what better way to teach history than through someone else's perspective? Yes, "authentic" diaries would be "better", but would the language really hold the modern student's attention? Did the diary writer know what WOULD be important in the context of history? Probably not.

[Cabiria Aquarius · Rating 5 out of 5]

That didn't take long to read.


It was a good read and good with the low memetic mode of literature. Very feeling as well and I felt for Kate. Also gave me a good idea of how it was like in 1882 building the railway. I felt nervous, upset, sad, angry etc with Kate about her father, mother, brothers, hoping to keep the dog and one of the puppies, her friend Rachel, her friend Anne. It was an amazing tale.

[Twyla · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book Kate has a lot of fun adventures, and keeps moving around Canada because of her fathers railway job. In her new town, Yale, she makes a new friend, but also completely loses one of her old ones when her friend moves. I learned that you shouldn't be selfish. Auryn 12 years old, 2016

[Shanelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like all the books a part of the Dear Canada series, I learned a lot about Canada's history through this book, A Ribbon of Shining Steel. Although I did feel that this book dragged on for a while, it was still a good read and one I'm likely not to forget any time soon.

[Maria108 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this whole series of dear canada so thsi book was no different from the start i embraced this book and i just loved it!

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

all the dear canada books are out standing and you learn history too, only through a fictional averege girl who in the book was where history happened throughout time.

[Madison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very, very interesting to learn about the Railroad in Canada! It was very interesting to hear about how the Railroad was built and gave a good description of life in the early 19th century!

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love every Dear Canada book. They are all well written and fantastic reads for all ages.

[Chelsea C · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the first books I purchased and read from the Dear Canada Series. A another fascinating quick read and interesting historical perspective of my home province of BC.

[Ericka.Castro-Orellanaoscbstudent.Ca]

I couldn't read it because I can't use the program help

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ribbon of Shining Steel is a fast paced, interesting fictitious diary of Kate Cameron who's father work as a bridge builder foreman on the CPR project. This particular diary takes place while they were trying to blast their way through Hell's Gate, which took many lives to blast through. While Kate seems like a rather dramatic girl, fighting with her fiends a lot, she gives a pretty good idea of what living in a railway town would look like for the time.

She gives lots of detail about her day to day life as well as some more general deals of the types of injures and ways to die via blasting and railway building. This book is not at all boring and Kate often adds words she has learned the day of her journal entry so she can remember them when she goes through school examinations, which is a great and almost natural way to get some vocab expansion in there for kids.

And, of course, in true Dear Canada style, her one brother becomes a doctor. You have 9 to 1 odds someone is or will be a doctor in the Dear Canada series. lol

Conclusion

Great book. Educational. I'd say the age group for this would have to be 10+?

Book does talk about racism (mostly against Chinese who were key to building the Railway), deaths and injuries mostly from rock blasting, Kate gets caught up in a bush fire and has a long entry about that.

[Holly L'Heureux · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was such an interesting read. The railroad was such an important part to society no matter where in the world you were, especially in North America. Not to mention the importance of a railroad that connected the East coast to the West coast like the CPR did. There was so much construction done throughout the wilds of Canada to connect one side of the country to another. So many people worked hard on this railroad and so many people gave their lives so this railroad could be utilized by the citizens of Canada. This Railroad was not on my radar until I read this book. Even though it is written from the eyes of a twelve year old child, I learned so much about a major part of Canadian History. Canadian history should be talked of more in schools throughout North America. It is so sad knowing that at 25 years old I learned almost nothing about Canadian history besides the stereotypes that everyone throws around. These books are really opening my eyes to the importance of the country of Canada and all of the trials and tribulations that came with being a newer independent country from Britain than America was.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Kate's father is a builder for the Canadian Pacific Railway as it snakes its way across the mountains and through the Fraser Canyon. Everyone is excited about the 'Iron Horse' but building the railroad is a treacherous undertaking. Kate is always thinking about her father's safety, and the Accident Hospital next door is a constant reminder of the hazards the railroad brings. There is tremendous excitement surrounding the creation of the transcontinental railroad despite the danger as Kate, her town, and all of Canada eagerly await its completion."

This series gives historical information about important events in history.

[LobsterQuadrille · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's so nice to find one of these books that actually reads like a diary. "Railway diary" is arguably a misnomer since the track construction is mostly tangential to Kate's daily life, but I thought it was integrated well along with the everyday dramas. Kate's voice is strong enough to give some of the secondary characters distinct personalities. Her brothers were the most entertaining for me. However, Anne was quite a pill and I was usually rooting for their friendship to end for good. But overall a well-constructed "diary" that gives a distinct aura to the cast and setting.

[Erin Becker · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was really boring. The author was more into the trains than the narrative. I liked the main character, but there was no big event to build to or conflict to resolve. Most Dear Canada/Dear America books have a more clear central event - this one was just her dad working on the railroad, frequent accidents and deaths, and squabbles with her friends. Snore.

[Barbara Ball · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5. It took me a while to get into the book, but by the end I really enjoyed it. I find the historical aspect of it and the feat of building the railroad especially in the Rockies fascinating.

[Kristen Bouma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I throughly enjoyed this book, a wonderful look into Canada’s past and the development of the railway that brought the country together.

[Jess Vargas · Rating 2 out of 5]

We read it for grade 3/4 Social Studies and didn’t find it very engaging. It was slow to get through.

[Caitlyn Unruh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great historical children's fiction.

[Van · Rating 4 out of 5]

ok book